Toulon are his latest suitors, and league wants back what they believe is rightfully theirs, but Israel Folau will not go anywhere.

The interest is real, but so is Folau's commitment to Australian rugby.

Hands off Folau: the Waratahs fullback during Wallabies training session at Scotch College in Melbourne on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images

Neither the Wallabies nor Waratahs are worried about their biggest, most valuable asset walking out on them for the lure of the euro.

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There is no exit clause in Folau's contract. The only way Australian sport's cosiest tripartite relationship could sour is if, say, a third-party deal failed to materialise. Even then, protracted legal wrangling would ensue, rendering impossible a quick exit north.

The Wallabies will reluctantly trot out Folau next week to make the same remarks – insert different team – he made in Auckland six weeks ago.

Back then it was the Roosters in pursuit. Folau's response: "Definitely not".

"That's just rumours going around, it's certainly not true. I'm enjoying my time at the Tahs and looking forward to next year. Hopefully I can play well to be a part of [the Wallabies] World Cup squad but, at this stage, I'm just focusing on my job for the Tahs."

HOOPER IN HOT SEAT

This time last week, Australian rugby fans were settling into life under Stephen Moore.

How quickly things change.

From the comfort of Moore – tough, proud, hard-hitting – to the energy of Michael Hooper, the Wallabies have been on a roller-coaster ride.

Throw in a seven-try victory over France to open the season, delivered simultaneously with the news Moore would play no further part with the Wallabies this year, and Test rugby kicked off with a bang.

Hooper has stepped up with ease, mostly because he hasn't given it much thought.

The new Wallabies captain will put performance first and trust that teammates have bought into Ewen McKenzie's plan to the extent that the off-field part will take care of itself.

"Going forward, we're a high-performance team – that's what we want and it should be in the front of our minds," he said.

"You've got to be able to enjoy yourself but things that affect high performance will have to be looked on as a negative."

How will Hooper, the second youngest member of the squad behind Will Skelton, handle situations that may pit him against older teammates in the coming months?

"You earn your respect through how you carry yourself and play on the field," he said.

"If you think someone's out of line you should be able to tell them, and that can be the youngest person telling the oldest person, or the oldest person telling the youngest person, it doesn't matter. It's the fact that we're all trying to get to a common goal.

"If you think it's not right – anyone in the team – then it can be discussed and we can move forward with the best option."

CHEIKA'S PRIDE IN FOLEY

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika was in Paris when he learnt he had helped produce a Wallabies five-eighth.

He's had a Wallabies fullback, breakaway, hooker, prop and centre-cum-winger on his books for some time now, but Bernard Foley's selection at No.10 last week was a particularly satisfying moment for the NSW coach.

"It's nice to see that he's progressed with his football and made that step up, especially since he made a decision last year [after agreeing to join the Rebels], to stay with the Waratahs," Cheika said.

"He still has a way to go and he would admit that himself, but I think he can be really happy with how he's developing in that area."

No sooner had Cheika arrived back in Sydney than his No.7 had been elevated to the role of Wallabies captain.

"Hooper's ascension to the captaincy has come through someone else's misfortune but, at the same time, it is a great opportunity for him," he said.

"There is still a lot for him to learn but he's definitely up for it, there's no doubt about it, and he is just the right person for that type of role. He has the right attitude, a real good work ethic, he's humble but also confident – and he's an easy person to respect. It helps that he's playing good footy too."

There was a barrage of congratulatory text messages from Hooper's NSW teammates, including one from Waratahs captain Dave Dennis.

"Denno said he could feel the knives coming into his back now," Hooper joked on Monday, before getting serious. "No, we've got what we've got going on at the Tahs and Denno's the perfect leader there."

SHUTE UP TO TOP LEVEL

Fast fact: 16 of the 23 players in this weekend's Wallabies squad came through the Shute Shield. It was the same with last week's team. Congratulations to NSW Rugby and the Sydney Rugby Union for continuing to produce outstanding talent. May the National Rugby Championship strengthen the production line further.

5 comments so far

I'm not so sure Sydney clubland produced the players you mentioned. Didn't the majority go straight from school into super set-ups?

Commenter

TC

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 6:32AM

Thats sounds like a bit of sour grapes there TC. I think you will find the majority actually played at club level before playing for a super team. Of course all the super teams scour the juniors coming through in NSW and sign them up if they show talent so they can get first dig. This is natural as the majority of Australia's rugby talent always have come from NSW. Its a bit like the cricket really.

Commenter

Carl

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 2:56PM

Agreed, 'came through Shute Shield' is definitely a stretch, and claiming that the Shute Shield produced these players is just ridiculous. Ashley-Cooper, for example, was contracted by the Brumbies when he was 20 (and was likely in their Academy before that) and debuted for the Wallabies at 21, how many games of Shute Shield has he actually played in the last decade?

'Have played in the Shute Shield at one point or another' is the only accurate statement you can make of all those players.

Commenter

Markus

Location

Canberra

Date and time

June 13, 2014, 4:09PM

So AAC is signed by the Brumbies at 20 and plays for the Wallabies the next year. That one year obviously outweighed all the development and rugby played by AAC up to his twentieth birthday not to mention he would have played in the Shute shield when not required for the Brumbies. Open both eyes people, as much as you may hate to give NSW credit for anything it is a fact that most of Australia's rugby talent continue to come from NSW no matter which super team is the first to give them a contract.

Commenter

Carl

Date and time

June 14, 2014, 12:35PM

I am relatively sure that young Foley and Phipps came through the ranks of the Sydney UniColts.